By Dr. V.V. Giri
Batting Power Play (BPP) - literally makes the captain of every side a BPP (Blood Pressure Patient).
Nowadays the “Batting Power Plays” have become a real “Battling Power plays. Every side is struggling with it. The fact is, honestly teams don’t know when exactly to take it and whenever they take it, it backfires.
India is the country worst affected by this batting PPs. In this World Cup, India tied a match against England and lost a match against SA from winning position. Both are due to the wrong timing and approach of the batting PP.
I find the think tank of every side don’t think well about the Power Plays. Be it Bowling PP or Batting PP. Whether the score is 30 for 4 or 70 no loss, you see the bowling side opt for PP immediately after the mandatory PP of ten overs. I can’t understand why?
ICC has created these ‘merciless’ Power Plays to the advantage of batting side and to make the bowler suffer further. A Power Play is designed to help the batsmen to score more runs and it is to bring excitement to the batting.
When the bowling side is struggling with the start (that is) when the batting side is well placed in the first ten overs with no loss or without losing many wickets, why should the bowling PP be taken immediately.
Every time I look forward for a different tactics by the fielding side captain, I was disappointed. I find him mechanically opt for PP from 11 to 15 overs and struggle more. It is absurd and suicidal. Why can’t he postpone the PP and take it when wickets fall. It is very easy to attack the new batsman with field restrictions than a well settled bat.
Similarly, the batting sides also don’t really have clear ideas. They start breaking their head from 30th over onwards and end up taking in the wrong time and suffer.
There is general opinion that bowling power play should be taken earlier and batting power plays must be taken only after the bowling power play, that too towards the end. This is totally wrong.
Power Plays in my opinion are meant to upset the opponents more than to take advantage of it. A side must utilize the power play to turn the match in its favor. How to do that? A clever captain can upset the opponent by opting for the power play at a strategic time and spoil their rhythm.
For example, the batting power play must be taken when the spinners are on top with perfect rhythm on a helpful wicket. To disrupt their attacking situation, you opt for PP. When you do that, the fielding side captain will most probably stop the spinners and bring on his medium pacers.
At that time you need to use your head. You should not go after the bowling. You have achieved in stopping the spinner on top. Now just play the medium pacers for just 4 to 6 runs per over if they bowl tightly. When the spinners come back after the PP, probably the batsmen are well settled (if you don’t lost wickets to the medium pacers during PP) and can attack the spinners better. The spinners also won’t have that kind of same rhythm to dominate.
Similarly when the fast bowlers are on top, you opt for PP. They naturally go on the defense and change the line of attack.
In a typical ODI match situation, the bowling is distributed like this. First ten mandatory overs will be bowled by the medium pacers or probably (occasionally) the best spinner in the bowling side. Again the bowling PP if taken immediately after ten, will be bowled by the similar type of bowlers.
Usually the spinners take over from fifteen to thirty. The non-regular bowlers bowl from thirty to forty. The main spinners bowl the remaining quota of overs from 40 to 44 and then the top medium pacers complete from 44 to 50.
In such a situation, the ideal timing of batting PP would be from 40 to 44 when the best spinners come on to bowl. The bowling captain will be forced to postpone them and bring the best medium pacers who were supposed to bowl the 45 to 50 over.
The batsmen should see to that they bat without losing wicket and get around just a minimum of 4 to 6 runs and get set. Now the final overs will be bowled by the spinners or non-specialist PP bowlers. That time the batsmen should make merry.
Many sides including India do not realize this and opt for PP from 40 to 44 overs, try to slog the specialist medium pacers, lose wickets, send new batsmen, they also try to slog the difficult bowler and lose more wickets and eventually get bundled out cheaply.
Similarly, the bowling PP also need not necessarily be taken from 11 to 15. Don’t opt when the ball is new and heavy. Wait for the ball to become soft, Wait for the situation when two new batsmen are at the crease, opt for PP and attack with close in fielders.
One thing the sides should remember. PPs are not meant for slogging with the bat. Batting PP is mainly to upset the bowling rhythm and bowling PP should be taken when the batsmen are down. That is, more importance must be given to upset the opponents than to use for their own side.
Of course, more than the captain, the coaches must play a greater role in choosing the PP. In soccer the coaches take such important decisions from outside as looking from outside gives better picture and also gives time to think and analyse the situation correctly.
I am sure from now on, more importance would be given to the timing of PP and you can see lots of “mind games” in ODI cricket.
No comments:
Post a Comment